The impact of frequency of contact on protégé mentoring outcomes: the moderating effects of protégé general self-efficacy and face-to-face interaction

ABSTRACT

As a Human Resource Development (HRD) intervention, mentoring assists individuals in their career development. However, it is still unknown if mentoring could enhance individuals’ early career decision-making. Moreover, the literature lacks longitudinal research that investigates the role of frequency of contact in mentoring relationships. Therefore, this study examines whether frequency of contact between mentor and protégé influences protégé mentoring outcomes, namely, improvement in career decision self-efficacy (i.e. CDSE development) and satisfaction with mentoring. Data were collected at two times from 86 first-year undergraduate students who participated in a mentoring programme at a Middle Eastern business school, where email communication facilitated the contact between these protégés and their mentors. Based on regression analyses, the associfations were significant between frequency of contact and mentoring outcomes. The findings partially confirmed the effects of two moderating variables in the relationships mentioned above. This study has practical implications for HRD practitioners in higher-education institutions.

KEYWORDS:

• Academic mentoring
• career decision self-efficacy
• general self-efficacy
• e-mentoring
• face-to-face interaction

Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank Dr Mina Beigi, Dr Kathleen Boies, and Dr Ann Langley for their insightful comments and feedback on earlier versions of this manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. Throughout this article, ‘general self-efficacy’ and ‘self-efficacy’ are used interchangeably.

2. the results of analyses with all control variables included are available upon request.